It’s been a sloppy couple of days here as fall settles in—rainy, blustery, chilly. That might get some people thinking about warm, sunny climes somewhere. What I’m thinking about is short ribs. Meaty, flavorful and, yes, a little chewy, short ribs are one of my favorite “cheap cuts” of beef. Here are four recipes perfect for cold, rainy days. Continue reading “Making the most of the cheap cuts: four recipes for braised short ribs”
I claim to be an omnivore, but if I’m being honest, I’m more of a carnivore who also appreciates decent sides. I’ve been known to say, “A day without meat is like a day without sunshine.” That said, some really delicious vegetarian recipes have appeared here over the years, some of them even cooked by me. Here are six of our favorites. Continue reading “Savory, satisfying, meatless: six of our favorite vegetarian recipes”
Lamb and turkey stand in for ground beef in these five burger recipes.
I’ve been thinking about burgers lately. Big, juicy, beefy burgers. So imagine my surprise when I dug through the Blue Kitchen archives and didn’t find a single beef hamburger. But I did find these lamb and turkey burgers, and I remember every one of them fondly. Continue reading “Five burgers, no beef”
We love pasta. A lot. Just check the pasta section of the Blue Kitchen archives, and you’ll find pages and pages of listings. That’s what we did to compile this varied list of six pasta recipes—and a bonus seventh post at the end. Continue reading “Six pasta recipes and a bonus”
Seven recipes from the Blue Kitchen archives celebrate the flavors immigrants have brought to our shores and tables.
Need proof that America is a land of immigrants? Take a stroll through any supermarket worth the name. You’ll find pasta and pasta sauce makings. You’ll find cumin in the spice aisle; jalapeño peppers and fresh ginger in the produce department; sauerkraut, kielbasa (or certainly, brats). You’ll find miso paste. You’ll find hummus. These foods—once exotic, but now kitchen go-tos for most of us—didn’t get here on their own. Continue reading “Borrowing from the immigrant kitchen: seven globally-inspired recipes”
This week, we’re featuring six recipes/ideas from the Blue Kitchen archives for entertaining, celebrating and just feeling festive.
The holidays are upon us. Time for parties, family get-togethers, intimate dinners and even being indulgent on your own. Food—and drink—play a big part in all of it. Let’s start with something to drink. Continue reading “Six recipes for eating, drinking merrier”
Cooking a post-worthy recipe is not happening this week. So instead, we take a look back at what we’ve cooked in some Septembers past.
Marion cooks up a hearty chowder, chock full of potatoes, corn, fish and bacon, giving it a sweet note by substituting corn stock for fish stock. You’ll find the recipe here. Continue reading “Septembers to remember: five recipes from our autumn archives”
Pesto is a quintessential summer meal maker—garden fresh, versatile and requiring little or no cooking. Here are five pesto recipes, from the traditional basil to creative takes using sage, cilantro and even kale.
A sudden abundance of basil in our garden has us enjoying quick weeknight—and lazy weekend—dinners of simply prepared pesto with pasta. But it doesn’t always have to team up with pasta. It can be tossed with cooked potatoes and green beans, spooned over grilled meats and fishes—even smeared on crusty bread as a snack or appetizer. And it doesn’t always require basil, as some of these recipes demonstrate. Continue reading “Getting playful with pesto: five recipes improvise on a summer standard”
We’re not cooking much this summer—well, not cooking much in the way of new shareable recipes. So I raided the archives to see what we’ve cooked in past Julys. Some good stuff, it turns out. Continue reading “Six recipes for a summer with a thousand Julys”
Pears from the American Northwest are in delicious, abundant supply right now. Here are six different ways to make the most of them.
It’s that season. You know, apple season. Time for piling the family in the car and heading off to an orchard to pick more apples than you can possibly eat. Legions of apples taking over the produce department in the market. I like apples well enough, but I love also-in-season pears. Here are some ways we’ve cooked with them. Continue reading “Six recipes featuring seasonal, versatile pears”